The Wind Turbine

Maintenance & Operations Update

April 2011: Crane lifting blades

Ex Place turbine maintenance completed on schedule; generating power. Read more in the maintenance section of this site.

Availability Tops 94% in 2009, 2010

The Ex Place turbine achieved excellent availability in 2009 and 2010, with the turbine producing clean wind power for over 94% of operational time. This resulted in a total output of approximately 1 million kWh (kilowatt hours) per year of clean wind power being fed into the local electricity grid.

WindShare's Ex Place turbine has had an enormous impact on Canada’s wind industry. Its construction and widespread community support made it the perfect tool for the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association to successfully promote major policy changes in Ontario. These changes now make it easier for co-operatives and community groups to develop renewable energy projects.

More information about policy.

The Ex Place turbine…

Is the first URBAN-sited turbine to be constructed in North America. Turbines are not often put into cities because buildings, zoning issues and dense residential areas tend to interrupt a “laminar” flow of wind required for wind speeds to generate power.
Is the first COMMUNITY-OWNED wind power project in Ontario. Community power is locally owned, renewable energy generation scaled to the size and characteristics of the host site. The community power model is gaining support as an alternative to large-scale developments which are experiencing some local opposition due to their size and local visual impact. By becoming power producers, co-operative members can benefit directly from a wind energy resource and move towards more sustainable and secure energy future.
Is made in Ontario. Almost all of the turbine parts, including the tower and blades, were manufactured in province. Only the converter at the base of the turbine and the nacelle were manufactured in the Netherlands.

Annually the ExPlace turbine generates, on average, the electricity needs of about 100 homes for a year.

The turbine production capacity helps displace up to 408 tonnes of carbon annually, which is the equivalent of taking 82 cars off the road each year.

The Ex Place turbine was constructed in December 2002. The turbine stands 30 stories tall at the foot of the Dufferin Gate entrance of Exhibition Place, visible to hundreds of thousands of commuters driving into Toronto’s downtown via Lakeshore Boulevard and the Gardiner Expressway every day.

More power production data is available in our Members section.

Tours of the Ex Place Turbine are available! Click here to learn more.

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